1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image reading and processing apparatus which reads an image formed by light projected onto the image sensor through a film and performs image processing on the read image, and which is arranged to reduce occurrence of chipping off images formed on films. More particularly, the present invention relates to a digital printing apparatus using such an image reading and processing apparatus and to an image reading and processing method relating to the image reading and processing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A kind of printing apparatus is known which performs digital exposure when an image formed on a photographic film such as a negative film or a reversal film (hereinafter referred to simply as xe2x80x9cfilmxe2x80x9d) is printed on a light-sensitive material (photographic paper). Digital photoprinters designed as this kind of printing apparatus have recently been put to practical use. That is, this kind of digital photoprinter performs a digital exposure process in which an image formed on a film is photoelectrically read and converted into a digital signal, which is processed by various kinds of image processing to form a recording image data (output data), and an image (latent image) is formed on a light-sensitive material by exposing the light-sensitive material to a scanning beam of recording light which is modulated with the recording image data, thereby obtaining a printed image (finished image).
This digital photoprinter is capable of determining exposure conditions at the time of printing by processing image data obtained as digital image data from an image. Therefore, it can suitably perform correction of washed-out highlights or flat shadows of an image resulting from a flash photography condition or a strongly backlighted condition, sharpness (sharpening) processing, correction of a color failure and a density failure, correction of a result of underexposure or overexposure, correction of a reduction in peripheral light quantity, etc., to obtain a print at a high quality level not attainable by the conventional direct exposure. The digital photoprinter can also perform synthesis of a plurality of images, division of an image, and synthesis of letters by-image data processing, and can output prints freely edited and processed according to uses.
Moreover, the digital photoprinter can form a print from a picture (image data) taken by a digital still camera or the like. Further, it can not only output an image in the form of a print (photograph) but also supply image data to a computer or the like or store image data on a recording medium such as a floppy disk, and therefore the image data can be applied to various uses other than photographic uses.
Basically, the above-described digital photoprinter is constituted by a scanner (image reader) which photoelectrically reads an image recorded on a film, an image processor which processes the read image to form recording image data, and a printer (image recorder) which forms a print by performing scanning exposure of a light-sensitive material according to the image data and by performing development on the light-sensitive material.
For example, if the scanner performs two-dimensional image reading of an image recorded on a film by using an area charge-coupled device (CCD) sensor, the scanner makes light emitted from a light source travel to a film to obtain, through an aperture mask, projection light carrying the image recorded on the film, reads the image by focusing the projection light on the area CCD sensor by an optical system imaging lens and by photoelectrically converting the image into an electrical signal with the area CCD sensor, processes the signal if necessary, and sends the signal as film image data (image data signal) to the image processor.
The image processor sets image processing conditions from the image data previously read by the scanner, performs image processing under the set conditions to form output data (exposure conditions) for recording the image, and sends the output data to the printer.
If the printer is, for example, a unit for performing light beam scanning exposure, it performs two-dimensional scanning exposure (printing) of a light-sensitive material with a light beam modulated according to the output data sent from the image processor, thereby forming a latent image. The printer then performs a predetermined development process, etc., to output a print (photograph) in which the image recorded on the film is reproduced.
In the above-described digital photoprinter, a film on which photographed images are recorded is transferred and stopped by detecting one of the images on the film so that the frame of the image stops at a predetermined position, and projection light from the image recorded on the film is read by the area CCD sensor through the aperture mask. It is important to improve the accuracy with which each image recorded on the film is detected by the sensor and to accurately stop the frame of each photographed image just at the predetermined reading position in order to prevent occurrence of a failure to output an image portion at an end of the image area in the images recorded on the film, i.e., chipping off, or to prevent each of output print images from having a non-photographed area, i.e., a blank image area.
If the scanner performs two-dimensional image reading of images recorded on a film by using a line CCD sensor, each of the photographed images formed on the film is read from the film while the film is being transferred. Transfer of the film for this reading is performed on the basis of photographed image position information detected from prescan image data obtained by previously reading the entire area of the film without distinction between areas where photographed images are formed (hereinafter referred to as picture areas) and areas where no photographed images are formed (hereinafter referred to as non-picture areas). Also in image reading in this case, it is important to accurately extract only the photographed images from the film during transfer of the film so as to prevent occurrence of chipping off and a blank image area as described above.
Japanese Patent No. 2625278 discloses a picture frame positioning method in which an edge of each of picture frames recorded on a photographic film is detected with accuracy no matter what the photographed state in the picture frame, and the detected picture frame is set at a predetermined position by using the result of the detection.
Japanese Patent Application No. 5-142661 discloses a picture frame positioning method which enables a defective picture frame whose edge has not been detected to be correctly set at a predetermined position by fixed-amount positioning transfer. Japanese Patent Application No. 10-90802 discloses a photographic processing apparatus which provides, on a film, marking for positioning with the eye to enable smooth positioning at all positioning points by easier operations if the edges of picture frames on the film cannot be recognized.
In the digital photoprinter using an area CCD sensor in the scanner, however, there is a limit to the accuracy with which the edge of each of photographed images recorded on a film is detected, and there is also variation in the transfer speed, etc., of a transfer system for transferring a film, so that it is extremely difficult to obtain such a high stop position accuracy as a detected photographed image on a film can stop just at the predetermined position and the entire image recorded on the film can be imaged on the area CCD sensor without cutting off any portion of the image and without adding a non-image portion. Under these conditions, in order to prevent printing of a blank image area corresponding to a non-picture area when a photographed image is printed, it is required that, at the time of image reading, projection light carrying the image within an area smaller than the picture area, e.g., an area 10 to 20% smaller than the picture area be obtained through the aperture mask and read by the area CCD sensor.
However, if an image within an area smaller than the picture area of a photographed image recorded on a film is read and printed out by a printer or the like, the above-described chipping off can occur easily to cause a failure to print in the printed image a subject which is actually recorded on the film in an edge portion of the image area.
In the digital photoprinter using a line CCD sensor in the scanner, when each of images recorded on a film is read by predetermined timing relative to the film during transfer of the film, it is extremely difficult to accurately read the entire image on the film without cutting off any portion of the image and without adding a non-image portion, because there are variations of the film picture area corresponding to different kinds of camera, variations of the film picture area due to differences among individual cameras of one kind, etc.
Under these conditions, in order to prevent printing-out of a blank image area corresponding to a non-picture area when a photographed image is printed, it is necessary to obtain data on the image within a predetermined area smaller than the area of the image recorded on the film by, for example, 10 to 20%, and to print the image based on this image data. However, if printing is performed in this manner, the above-described chipping off can occur easily to cause a failure to print in the printed image a subject which is recorded on the film in an edge portion of the image area, since the output print is obtained by reading the image within the area smaller than the area of the photographed image recorded on the film.
In view of the above-described problem of the conventional art, an object of the present invention is to provide an image reading and processing apparatus for reading and processing an image recorded on a film, more particularly an image reading and processing apparatus which is used in a digital photoprinter for obtaining an output print from an image recorded on a film, and which is designed so as to prevent or reduce occurrence of chipping off which causes a failure to output, in a print or the like, an image portion actually imaged on a film, and an image reading and processing method for performing a process using the image reading and processing apparatus.
To achieve this object, according one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image reading and processing apparatus comprising an image reading section for reading a picture area of an original image recorded on a film and a non-picture area around the picture area, a picture determination and extraction section for determining boundaries of the picture area from a first image data obtained by the reading performed by the image reading section, and for extracting second image data from the first image data obtained by the reading, within an image data extraction area in the picture area which is set according to the determined boundaries of the picture area, and an image processing section for performing image processing on the second image data obtained by the picture determination and extraction section to obtain output data.
Preferably, in the above-described image reading and processing apparatus, the image reading section comprises one of an area sensor for two-dimensionally reading the picture area and the non-picture area and a line sensor for performing two-dimensional image reading by one-dimensionally reading the picture area and the non-picture area while the film is being transferred.
Preferably, the image reading section of the above-described image reading and processing apparatus has a frame detection sensor for detecting the original image recorded on the film.
If the original image is a slide image, it is preferred that the image reading section performs reading such that a non-picture area on a slide mount is read.
If the image reading section performs a prescan of the original image for previously determining processing conditions of the image processing performed by the image processing section, and a fine scan for obtaining output data, it is preferred that the second image data is extracted from the first image data obtained by the fine scan, or that the boundaries of the picture area are determined from the first image data obtained by the prescan.
Further, it is preferable that the image data extraction area of the picture determination and extraction section are changed in size according to the determined boundaries of the picture area. Preferably, the image data extraction area of the picture determination and extraction section coincides with the entire picture area defined by the determined boundaries. Alternatively, it is preferred that the image data extraction area of the picture determination and extraction section is a designated area determined according to the determined boundaries of the picture area. In such a case, it is preferred that the designated area is selected from a plurality of sets of designated areas.
Also, preferably, the processing performed by the image processing section includes enlargement/reduction processing performed on the second image data so that the processed data matches a predetermined image size. In such a case, it is preferred that the image processing further includes cutting processing for cutting the second image data so that the processed data matches a predetermined aspect ratio of an image.
Preferably, the image reading and processing apparatus is connected to at least one of output units: an image reproducing unit, an image data storage unit, and an image display unit, and the output data obtained by the image processing section is supplied to the output unit.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a digital printing apparatus comprising an image reading section for reading a picture area of an original image recorded on a film and a non-picture area around the picture area, a picture determination and extraction section for determining boundaries of the picture area from a first image data obtained by the reading performed by the image reading section, and for extracting second image data from the first image data obtained by the reading, within an image data extraction area in the picture area which is set according to the determined boundaries of the picture area, an image processing section for performing image processing on the second image data obtained by the picture determination and extraction section to obtain output data, and an image reproducing unit for outputting a reproduction image from the output data obtained by the image processing section,
wherein the image reproducing unit performs image reproduction by using the output data processed at least by enlargement/reduction processing by the image processing section so that the processed data matches an image size of the reproduction image to be reproduced.
Preferably, the digital printing apparatus has an image data storage unit for storing, on a recording medium, the output data processed by the enlargement/reduction processing. Also, preferably, the digital printing apparatus has an image display unit for performing display by using the output data processed by the enlargement/reduction processing.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing and reading method in which image data is obtained by reading an original image recorded on a film and is processed by image processing to form output data, the method comprising the steps of reading a picture area of the original image and a non-picture area around the picture area, determining boundaries of the picture area from image data obtained by the reading, extracting second image data from the first image data obtained by the reading, within an image data extraction area in the picture area which is set according to the determined boundaries of the picture area, and performing image processing on the second image obtained by the extracting step to obtain output data.